The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine on Wednesday, April 25, 2018 hosted a grand opening of its UT Health RGV Pediatric Specialty office, located at 4150 Crosspoint Blvd. in Edinburg. The specialty office aims to close gaps in access to general and specialty care for children, with services that include general pediatrics, pulmonary, developmental, and metabolic and genetic disorders. The grand opening included tours of the facility and a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, Edinburg Mayor Richard Molina, Mayor Pro Tem David Torres, Councilmember Gilbert Enríquez and other community and university leaders. Molina, the Edinburg mayor, expressed the community’s excitement about the pediatrics practice bringing much-needed care to the region. “Families are not going to have to travel anymore to Corpus Christi or San Antonio or Houston,” he said. “Now they can come to UT Health RGV Pediatric Specialty Clinic and get the very best medical care close to home. As your mayor, I couldn’t be more proud to say, it’s one more step toward a healthier community.” The Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council, along with the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation and its Board of Directors, lobby the Texas Legislature and the UT System Board of Regents on matters that benefit and protect UTRGV and its School of Medicine, which have major campuses in the city.

For the second consecutive month, Edinburg posted the lowest unemployment rate in the Rio Grande Valley, coming in at 4.7 percent for March 2018, and also saw an increase of almost 1,100 jobs compared with the same month last year, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced.

Edinburg also was the only Rio Grande Valley economy for March 2018 which had an unemployment rate of less than five percent. McAllen was second with a 5 percent unemployment rate.

For March 2018, there were 39,216 individuals employed in the city, compared with 38,160 persons working in March 2017 – representing an addition of 1,056 jobs, according to the Texas Workforce Commission, which released statewide figures on Friday, April 20, 2018.

Also, Edinburg saw a growth of 252 jobs when comparing the monthly total for March 2018 (39,216) and February 2018 (38,964), the Texas Workforce Commission also reported.

The unemployment rate for Edinburg during February 2018 was 4.9 percent.

The unemployment rate is a key indicator of the strength of the local economy.

The Edinburg EDC Board of Directors is comprised of Councilmember Enríquez as President, Edinburg School Board Trustee Miguel “Mike” Farías as Vice-President, Councilmember Salinas as Secretary/Treasurer, and Mayor Molina and Mayor Pro Tem Torres as Members.

In addition, the March 2018 unemployment rate of 4.7 percent represents the fourth time during that month that the city’s unemployment rate has been below five percent since 2005, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.

The number of jobs in Edinburg is independently documented by the Texas Workforce Commission, a state agency with many key duties, such as maintaining and reporting on key trends in state and local economies, including unemployment rates and the number of people employed in cities.

The unemployment rate is the number of persons unemployed, expressed as a percentage of the civilian labor force, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. The civilian labor force is that portion of the population age 16 and older employed or unemployed. To be considered unemployed, a person has to be not working but willing and able to work and actively seeking work.

For the past several years, Edinburg has registered the lowest or second-lowest monthly unemployment rate among all Valley cities.

Edinburg’s March 2018 unemployment rate of (4.7) percent is part of a consistent pattern of positive reports, including February 2018 (4.9 percent), January 2018 (5.2 percent), December 2017 (4.8 percent), November 2017 (4.8 percent), October 2017 (4.9 percent), September 2017 (5.3 percent), August 2017 (6 percent), July (5.7 percent), June 2017 (5.6), May 2017 (4.9 percent), April 2017 (4.8 percent), March 2017 (5.4 percent), February 2017 (5.9 percent) and January 2017 (6.1 percent).

According to the Texas Workforce Commission, for the month of March 2018, these are the employment figures for the seven largest cities in the Valley:

Edinburg’s annual unemployment rate for 2017 compared favorably with the Valley’s other major cities:

The annual unemployment rate in McAllen for 2017 was 5.1 percent;
The annual unemployment rate in Edinburg for 2017 was 5.3 percent;
The annual unemployment rate in Harlingen for 2o17 was 6.4 percent;
The annual unemployment rate in Mission for 2o17 was 6.8 percent;
The annual unemployment rate in Brownsville for 2017 was 7.2 percent;
The annual unemployment rate in Weslaco for 2o17 was 8 percent; and
The annual unemployment rate in Pharr for 2o17 was 8.1 percent.

Because of substantial methodology changes between 2004 and 2005 in estimating city unemployment statistics, Texas city data is not available prior to 2005, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.

Because of substantial methodology changes in geographic areas below the state level, data from 2005 and 2004 or earlier is not considered comparable, the state agency explains.

Effective in March 2015, the TWC also notes that “for all sub-state LAUS estimates, a break in series exists between December 2009 and January 2010 due to a change in methodology used. The use of caution is advised when comparing data from prior to 2010 to that of 2010-present.

The Texas Workforce Commission data on all entities in the state, including cities and counties, is available online at:

“One of the primary missions of the School of Medicine is to bring to the community the much-needed subspecialties by bringing on board current doctors who are already in the Valley and bringing to the Valley those subspecialties that haven’t exist here,” Patriarca explained. “This clinic represents both.”

UT Health RGV Pediatric Specialty aims to close gaps in access to general and specialty care for children. Services include general pediatrics, pulmonary, developmental, environmental health, and metabolic and genetic disorders.

Until now, families have had to travel several hours north to Corpus Christi, Houston, or San Antonio to seek treatment for their children for some of these pediatric specialties.

Dr. Robert Nelson, Chair of the Department of Pediatrics and Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, said the UTRGV School of Medicine and UT Health RGV Pediatric Specialty will work with area pediatric practices to develop programs that will expand pediatric services to Valley children so families won’t have to travel outside the area for care.

“What matters to the health of your children is what matters to us,” Nelson said.

UT Health RGV Pediatric Specialty will also serve as a training site for its residents and medical students, he said.

Molina, the Edinburg mayor, expressed the community’s excitement about the pediatrics practice bringing much-needed care to the region.

“Families are not going to have to travel anymore to Corpus Christi or San Antonio or Houston,” he said. “Now they can come to UT Health RGV Pediatric Specialty Clinic and get the very best medical care close to home. As your mayor, I couldn’t be more proud to say, it’s one more step toward a healthier community.”